


Turn On, Tune In

by Toft



Category: The Sentinel
Genre: M/M, Sensory Deprivation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-01-16
Updated: 2010-01-16
Packaged: 2017-10-06 08:58:15
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,711
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/51910
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Toft/pseuds/Toft
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jim starts listening in.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Turn On, Tune In

**Author's Note:**

> This is a fic written as a (belated) prize for [](http://xela-fic.dreamwidth.org/profile)[**xela_fic**](http://xela-fic.dreamwidth.org/) for her achievements in Kink Bingo 2008!
> 
> Kink: Sensory Deprivation (sight)

It was all Sandburg's fault. First, he'd talked Jim into getting that goddamn physical, and now the bad-tempered drivers on the I49 were competing with the TV two floors down and the crying baby across the street to make Jim go deaf, if he didn't lose his mind first. He'd tried visualizing a dial like Blair had showed him that time when they were guarding Angie Ferris, but it hadn't worked. The reason it hadn't worked was also the other reason this whole situation was Sandburg's fault. What the hell did the guy need to jerk off so much for, anyway?

Jim pressed the pillow more firmly against his head. It helped dull the I49 a little, but it didn't do a thing to stop the thump-dunk, thump-dunk of Blair's accelerated heart-rate, drumming through Jim's floor like a really fucking pervasive bass line, and above it, the treble of Blair's hitching breath, the harsh, rhythmic static of his knuckles brushing against the sheets. Jeez. He was tired, he didn't need this. He'd shared quarters for fifteen years, he'd heard guys jerk off before, but not in full surround sound. Kid was taking his time about it, too, nice and slow. Well, that was just great. Jim contemplated going down there, or banging on the floor like a cranky old nut. He'd burst into Sandburg's room - jesus, and wouldn't _that_ be a picture. For a moment, his mind supplied him with a full-colour image of Blair scooting back on his bed, eyes huge and blue with surprise, pulling his sheets up around his shoulders like a prim little - or, no, maybe he'd brazen it out. Meanly, Jim made imaginary Blair lean back against the mattress, letting his legs splay open, one fist curled lazily around his dick, eyebrows raised, _hey, Jim, you need something, buddy?_

And, wow, okay, he hadn't meant to turn himself _on_. Blair stroking himself slowly, just like he was now, while Jim watched - jesus, why was this turning him on? He didn't think about Sandburg that way. He wasn't blind, he knew the kid was cute, but he'd shut down that line of inquiry - this whole fucking situation was already weird enough. Two blocks away, a horn blared. Jim squeezed his eyes shut with a groan of despair. Well, hell. He wasn't sleeping, and it was Blair's fault - the guy owed him, and it wasn't as if Sandburg would ever know if Jim came along for the ride. He kicked off the sheets and shoved his hand into his boxers, but just at that minute, Blair made a choked-off sound, and the noise of the sheets stopped, but Blair's heartbeat kicked up a notch into double-time, ba-dup, ba-dup, ba-dup. Jim was alone with his hand on his dick, and it sounded like the party was over. Well, wasn't that just typical of fucking Sandburg. Jim flopped back on the bed, halfway to insanity with tiredness and irritation, and considered going down there and - what, demanding satisfaction? This time fantasy-Blair was soft-eyed, with come on his stomach, lazy smile, _hey, Jim, glad you could join us._

"Hey, Jim."

Jim jumped and whipped his hand out of his boxers guiltily, sure that Sandburg was right there in his room - nope, he was still downstairs in his room, his heartbeat was like a fucking homing beacon.

"Yeah, I know you're listening, Jim."

Jim froze, thought stuttering. Was Sandburg - could he - how the fuck -

"Oh, yeah, you listen to me every night, you asshole, I know."

Blair was barely whispering, his voice down almost to nothing. His heart rate was kicking up again, and Jim found himself actually sharpening his hearing to catch what he was saying, only to be almost deafened when Blair's sheets rustled violently - he'd kicked them off? Rolled over? And then was the rhythmic brush of skin-on-skin again, and it sounded like the party was only just getting started.

"You like it, don't you? Yeah, god, that's good, Jim -" Blair broke off with a light gasp and a spike in his heartbeat, and Jim slowly lay down again with dawning realization that, holy shit, Sandburg was getting _off_ on this, and actually, there was no way he could know that Jim was listening. Before today, if he'd been trying, Jim could have heard Blair easily, but Blair didn't know that Jim was suddenly aware of every guy clearing his throat in a three block radius. Plus, it was two a.m., Jim had to be up in four hours, and Sandburg knew he was a heavy sleeper. He was suddenly hot, even without the covers, but paralyzed, in case Blair somehow heard him, realized he was awake and listening.

"Yeah," Blair sighed, "You like to listen to me jerk off. I know you, man - god, you looked so fucking hot today -"

Jim's forehead prickled with sweat, and he realized he had his hand around himself, had started up stroking himself again, and at the same time, he found himself smiling. He had to hand it to Sandburg, the sheer _audacity_ of it. Hell, maybe he did this every night. Maybe he liked the risk - liked knowing that Jim might hear him. He hadn't realized Sandburg was such an adrenaline junkie. But - as far as Sandburg knew - Jim would have to intentionally be trying to hear what Blair was doing, invading his privacy, and then Jim would either freak out thinking that Blair knew and would tune out immediately and never mention it again - as he'd very nearly done, as he would have done if his senses weren't in overdrive - or he'd - he'd do this, do exactly what he was doing. He bit his lip against a groan. Sandburg was smart. He was really smart. He stroked himself in time with Blair, synchronising their strokes. The slow pace was almost unbearable, pleasure coiling tighter and tighter, but he couldn't shift or get a better angle like he wanted to, in case Sandburg heard him in the room below. The room was airless, his throat was dry from trying to breathe quietly.

"You want to listen so hard you can hear _everything_," Sandburg was whispering, breath coming shallow and too eager, almost desperate, "you want to get _inside_ me, man, you want to know fucking everything about me -"

Guilt spiked Jim belatedly - shit, he shouldn't be listening to this, but he was involved now, no way to stop it. This wasn't about getting off on the risk, or the voyeurism. Well, it probably was, but Blair really _wanted_ him, wanted _Jim_. Maybe he really did do this every night, maybe he'd been doing it for some time, waiting for Jim to catch a clue, catch on, tune in.

Blair was losing his sibilants, slurring his words together between gasps, so that Jim was straining to catch every word, and, jesus, Jim could hear him and smell him as if he were just a few inches away, and his body kept tensing for the weight of a body that wasn't there, wasn't even in the fucking room.

"Fuck, yeah," Blair gasped, "Jim, fuck me, that's - ah - god, yes -"

Jim _felt_ the noise Blair made in the back of his throat, felt the stinging silence as Blair came, and it was - he couldn't stand it, he couldn't stand that Blair did this, had been doing this, and had those sharp little smiles he gave Jim every morning been to see if Jim had been listening in? Was he imagining it, now, or did Blair always look just a little bit disappointed? Or was it relief?

Blair let out a long exhale, breathing slowly in and out, then tugged a kleenex from a box. Jim slowly came back to himself, and found he was sitting up in his bed, his hand gripped so tightly around his dick it was almost painful, and his orgasm retreating into the distance. He'd zoned a little, he realized and everything else had gone on the backburner. As he readjusted, he could hear the sounds of the street again, but it was a little fainter, closer to normal. His legs flexed, and he was halfway out of bed before he caught himself and froze, but Sandburg's breathing hadn't changed. He was maybe falling asleep. Jim could wait a little while, then go and get some ibuprofen and try to sleep, or - no. No. Shit, Ellison, take a risk. Sandburg stepped into the line of fire without any training or experience, and he'd been taking risks here, too, even if Jim hadn't known it until now. He rolled out of bed before he could change his mind, heart pounding, and didn't bother to be quiet about it.

When Jim knocked softly on the door and opened it, Blair sat up. Jim could see him perfectly, and it wasn't like any of the ways he'd imagined it; Blair's eyes were careful, and his lips were thinned.

"Hey, Jim," he said quietly, voice only a little husky, but it sent shivers up Jim's back just the same. "What's the matter?"

Jim cleared his throat, and swallowed. "Long time listener, first time caller," he said finally, and Blair said, "Oh," and, "Are you - really?" and, "_Jim_," and Jim was across the room and kissing his soft, fucking beautiful mouth and falling into the bed with him, and Blair was moaning and wrapping his arms around him, pushing up against him. Jim's orgasm was suddenly _right there_, he was right on the edge and shaking with it; Blair licked his shoulder and said, "Oh my god, this is so unbelievable, you're so fucking huge, man," and grabbed kind of clumsily for Jim's dick, and Jim came faster and harder than he was ready for, then collapsed on the bed, panting.

His senses were always whacked after he came; right now, Jim could hardly see anything, but Blair's heart was so loud he could hardly hear, and over it Blair was saying, "Jim, man, Jim, Jim, can we - great as this is, I want to talk about this, can we talk about this? Jim? Are you awake?"

Jim took a risk and a deep breath and said, "I'm listening, chief," and Blair's smile in the dark was as bright to him as day.

 

End


End file.
